Safety device for switch engines



Sept. 9, 1924. 1,508,188

- w. J. LAFFEY SAFETY DEVICE FOR SWITCH ENGINES Filed March 8, 1922 I William e Patented Sept. 9, 1924.

WILLIAM J. LAFIEY, OF MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE.

SAFETY DEVICE-FOR SWITCH ENGINES.

Application filed March 8, 1922. Serial No. 542,040.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM J. LAFFEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Memphis, in the county of Shelby and State of Tennessee, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Safety Devices for Switch Engines, of which the following is a specification.

My said invention relates to a safety device for switch engines and it is an object of the same to protect the trainmen against a form of accident of frequent occurrence due to the intense illumination by the headlight which dazzles the eyes of the men and prevents them from estimating accurately their distance from the engine. Due to this situation it-frequently happens that a man.

will attempt to step on the foot board and fall short of it, with no great damage, perhaps, if the engine is moving from him, but often with very serious results if the engine is moving toward him.

Referring to the accompanying drawings which are made a part hereof and on which similar reference characters indicate similar parts,

Figure 1 is a side view of an engine cab with the device of my invention,

Figure 2 a detail of the step and the bumper to which it is attached, and

Figure 3 a detail of a light.

In the drawings 10 indicates a switch engine of ordinary construction and 11 a tender attached thereto. At its forward end the engine carries a bumper 12 and a second bumper 13 is carried at the rear end of the tender, each of these devices having projecting thereover a coupler such as shown at 14. A pair of brackets 15, 15 extend downward from each of the bumpers 12 and 13 and support foot boards 16 and 17 which as. usual are but a short distance above the track.

The foregoing devices are old and wellknown in the art, my invention consisting secure by Letters Patent,

in the provision of a lamp or a set of lam s 18 secured preferably just below each of the bumpers and which are here shown as attached to the brackets 15. These lamps are provided with an electric bulb 19 or other desirable illuminating device and have at the front a lens of colored glass 20, preferably red. At the lower side each lamp has a lens or sheet of glass 21 which is preferably colorless and which is so arranged that the light transmitted therethrough will fall directly on the foot board. A parabolic reflector 22 extends over the source of illumination in a position to throw the light down as described.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the 60 art that many changes may be made in my device without departing from the spirit of my invention, the true scope of which is shown in the appended claim.

Having thus fully described my sa1d m- 66 Vention, what I claim as new and desire to In a switch engine having a bumper and a foot board a pair of signal boxes mounted beneath the bumper, each of said signal 70 boxes containing a lamp and having an aperture for transmitting light in the direction of movement of the engine whereby the outer extremities of the bumper are indicated, each box also havin an aperture beneath the lamp for transmltting light to the foot board whereby the outer extremities of the foot board are indicated, substantially as set forth.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal at Memphis, Tennessee this 6th day of March, A. D. nineteen hundred and twenty-two.

WILLIAM J LAFFEYI [n s.] Witnesses:

JOHN W. FARLEY,

F. M. BAILEY. 

